RE-1 silencer of transcription/neural restrictive silencer factor modulates ectodermal patterning during Xenopus development.

ABSTRACT: RE-1 silencer of transcription/neural restrictive silencer factor (REST/NRSF), a transcriptional repressor, binds to the RE-1 element present in many vertebrate genes. In vitro studies indicate that REST/NRSF plays important roles in several stages of neural development. However, a full understanding of its physiological function requires in vivo approaches. We find that impairment of REST/NRSF function in Xenopus embryos leads to the perturbation of neural tube, cranial ganglia, and eye development. The origin of these defects is the abnormal patterning of the ectoderm during gastrulation. Interference of REST/NRSF function during the late blastula stage leads to an expansion of the neural plate, concomitant with a decrease of the expression of epidermal keratin and neural crest markers.

SUBMITTER: Olguin P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6675167 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature